Make a DNA of appreciation.
Now when a year is ending and a new one is beginning, let¡¯s turn on my mind switch with positive thinking.

From when I was young, the word appreciation has been always on my lips. I repeatedly uttered ¡®thank you, thank you¡¯ even for a tiny thing. My nickname was even ¡®Choi appreciation.¡¯ People called me ¡¯Choi appreciation because my family name is Choi.¡¯ Is it the reason? My children live with a mind full of appreciation, too. When my daughter was an elementary school student, I sent her on an errand to buy bean sprouts. At the time we were living in a mountain village, and there were about 200 stairs between our home and a small shop. She had to go to the small shop in the distance, stepping down and up the 200 stairs. Hugging my daughter who bought bean sprouts with her small hands without any complaints, I told to her.

Address, it is standing in the way of change.
Address expresses the identity of a person.

The change of the address of a woman means the change of social awareness.
An address reflects the identity of a person who is called and the character of a social member who calls the person. Varying addresses are used even for the same person according to the person¡¯s current condition, social relationship, and intimacy with other person, that is, following a situation in which the person is called by people. In particular, women are called with many addresses, besides their names, and these addresses have a little differently changed according to the times. What are the social meanings contained into the changing addresses for women?

Let's take wings as a dignified elderly woman.
To get over the poor reality of old women
Provide for your sound old age, women

It is long before our country went into the aging society, and a percentage of the elderly population stood at 7.1% (3.37 million) in 2000. The aging society is the time when a percentage of elderly population (persons 65 years old and over) is more than 7 percent of a total population. At present, a percentage of elderly population is 10%, and our society is rushing toward the aged society. The aged society is the time when a percentage of elderly population (persons 65 years old and over) is under 14~20%. And it is expected that our country will be the aged society in 2019.
In consideration of demographic characteristics, the average life expectancy of the female is 8 years longer than that of the male, and a percentage of old women who have husbands is only 30.4% while that of old men who have wives is 85.7%.1) In the case of the old over 80, approximately 96 percent of old women and 4.2 percent of old men become bereaved and single.2) The number of old women, who left alone in the most required time of their own husbands, is rising. So the ratio of old women gets higher and higher according to advanced ages. On the other hand, while about 58% of men are providing for old age, a survey reveals that only 33.7% of women are providing for. Therefore when it comes to old women who depend on their own husbands with no economic activities, they have much more possibilities of being exposed to the risk of poverty without any special safety nets.3)

"Words of women are now leadership"

Relationship-oriented women words of reconciliation and tolerance become the core for women¡¯s leadership in the future society.
There are old sayings: ¡°A word is worth a thousand debts.¡± and ¡°Even a friend from childhood can part with you by a word.¡± The words we use are live, so they have influences on all beings. According to the book ¡°Water knows the answers¡± written by Masaru Emoto, words affect water, too. When you prepare two glasses which are filled with water, and say to one, ¡°I love you, thanks¡± and to the other, ¡°devil, you don¡¯t do it,¡± the crystals of water are completely different each other. Words, like this, affect their recipients regardless of their positive or negative meanings because they include the teller¡¯s will.

Reasons that the words of women come to the forefront
Generally, the positive words cause courage and wisdom while the negative words cause misunderstood and discouragement. This is the reason why we have to say the positive words. The words of women have a bigger impact than the words of men. Because women are stronger than men in taking care of the family and maintaining relationships with surrounding people, women¡¯s words have more great power than men¡¯s. Then, what are the differences between women¡¯s words and men¡¯s words?

"Considerations on Women and Leisure"

Life of Women in view of Leisure
It¡¯s time for women themselves to make a change of leisure.
The modern society shows a big flow, converted from a labor-oriented society to a leisure-oriented one. Dumazedier, French leisure-sociologist, said that Leisure has three functions on the personal level; relaxation and refreshment, personal development of knowledge, and voluntary social participations. Relaxation is the healing from suppressions of daily life, the refreshment by leisure, or the antidote for the everyday boredom. And by activities of leisure, we¡¯re able to develop our egos. However, though such strong points of leisure, in reality there are great differences in relation to one¡¯s sexual identity. Moreover, our reality is that there is a high wall between unmarried women and married ones.
Difference between men and women
It is a widespread fact that the patterns of leisure between men and women are different. This is historically caused by the difference of roles given to men and women. Traditionally the existence of women has been connected with the family, and the idealistic figures of women were housewives and good mothers. And their legal position was also too weak, and they were relatively in the situation of being protected during the days of their adolescence. All this things explain the differences between men and women in their leisure lives.

"One-man media and Women"

Generation shift to one-man media leading an information society
Women leading new culture in the center

New technology does not change society all the time. Some technology disappears even before it is introduced to the society. MD was used for a short time just before MP3 was popular, and laser disk disappeared with leaving no memory in public after turning around Karaoke rooms. In addition to them, there are a lot of products that enjoyed a short life. However, the survivors create big resonance by harmonizing with a society. See social changes generated by digital technology. It is no exaggeration to say that digital technology has changed everything in the society, not just social change.

Center for Large and Small Business Cooperation of the Federation of Korean Industries
Ministry of Gender Equality : Uses Gyeonggi Women E-learning Center¡¯s online education
EDWarners Co., Ltd.: Concluded an agreement on free provision of online education contents
Hyundai Research Institute : Women Information Data Room

"The Earth with a Danger Signal, Women Creating Hope"

The Earth with a Danger Signal, Women Creating Hope
Serious Climate Change Caused from Severe Insensitivity to Environment
Promotion of Basic Practice for Environmental Improvement is Required

A slogan of '2008 World Environment Day' is "Kick the Habit!: Towards a Low Carbon Economy" 'Climate change', an environmental issue focused by the U.N., the reason of 'low carbon; and women practicing 'low carbon' were examined.

On June 5, 1972, the first International Environment Conference was held in Stockholm, the capital city of Sweden, under the subject of 'Only, One Earth'. Representatives from 113 nations, 3 international organizations and 237 private organizations participating the conference adopted UN¡¯s Declaration on the Human Environment, and established June 5 as 'Environment Day' and has held various events every year. In addition, the U.N. announces a slogan about environment every year, which aims to suggest directions of international practice by arousing social attention and political interest. This year's slogan is "Kick the Habit!: Towards a Low Carbon Economy", which means the whole world should try and respond together in order to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by taking notice of environment protection and climate change.

"Support for Multi-Cultural Families and I"

Closed against accepting foreigners with special relationships. Now is the time to learn to live together and recognize diversities. "Looking back to when I was first married, I didn't know a thing and was frustrated. When I turn back to those feelings, I can understand. I must help them." "My daughter is also staying abroad to study. When I think of the difficulties she will be facing from cultural differences, I can't resist helping these people." "When we help each person one by one, they will begin to have a good impression on the Korean people. I think of it as a diplomacy to the families and people back in their homes." ”

"Opening the doors for another 10 years without walls"

Being a handicapped woman, the double discrimination reflected in their lives "There are many people who stepped out to the world for the first time last year. They lived hidden in their homes all their lives. The social systems and the social recognition on handicapped women must be changed so that the handicapped can live without having to feel their handicaps at all." Jeon, Yun-Sun, the representative of the Gyeonggi Handicapped Womens' Organization 'Bisang (Flying Up)', which was established in last October at Ansan, relayed her strong emotions of that day. For the first time in her life, she came out to the world by subway and met other fellow women who were in her situation. Together, they finally opened up their doors toward the world in order to find a new way. ”

'Spring Day', the story of women who are stepping onto a new track

A new government kicks off in the new spring of 2008. The meaning of this spring will be very different for Mr. Lee, Myung-Bak, the new president. Likewise, women who begin a new life this spring are standing on the crossroad of fear and hope in the spring of 2008, and are preparing for a time of 'adventure' and the departure to new territories.
On a spring day, where nature is born with new life, there are women who are stepping onto a new track. One woman who was raised by her grandparents, prepares to end her shaky teens, and is determined to begin a 'firm' college life. Another woman is preparing to begin her second life at the age of 42. From these women, we can feel 'hope and life' that a spring day holds, following the new tracks that they have begun to walk on. Let's hear their' Story Filled with Spring Sunlight. ”

The Mysterious Secret of Laughter Has Been Revealed

Scientists have been working on why laughter appears and how it influences the health since thousands of years. Nevertheless, there exists only a little scientific knowledge of the effects of laughter on the health. But the effect of laughter is evident. The laughter cures diseases and changes the living. Though there would be many to be needed for your health in 2008, the ‘laughter’ is the very essential one. Nothing is better medicine than laugh. Hahaha, hohoho, puhaha…. Let’s be convulsed with laughter from just a little delight. As the saying ‘Laughing one’s head off’, when a person laughs his head off, 231 of 650 muscles in his body move. We can just perceive a smiling face with 15 muscles move outwardly but laughter makes so many muscles in our body move. Bursting into laughter has enormous effect of practice by making internal organs such as the gastro, the heart and etc as well as upper body move. Dr. William from the Stanford Medical University, who has been researching on the relationship between laughter and health for more than 40 years, tells us, “Laughing once equals aerobics for five minutes.”